Ukraine said it had driven the Russian forces out after an artillery and missile assault overnight. According to report, Russian forces abandoned the strategic Black Sea outpost of Snake Island on Thursday in a victory on Ukrainian ports for Ukraine that could loosen the grip of Russia's blockade.
Due to
latest report, Russia said it had decided to withdraw from the outcrop off
Ukraine's southwestern coast as a "gesture of goodwill" to show
Moscow was not obstructing U.N. attempts to open a humanitarian corridor
allowing grains to be shipped from Ukraine.
"KABOOM!"
tweeted Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of
staff. "No Russian troops on the Snake Island anymore. Our Armed Forces
did a great job."
In
contrast, however, a Ukrainian official in the heavily fought eastern province
of Luhansk described difficulties for Ukrainian forces in the city of
Lysychansk on Thursday.
Russian
artillery shelled from different directions while the Russian army was
approaching from different sides, regional governor Serhiy Gaidai said on
Ukrainian television.
"Residents
have been told to remain in underground shelters indefinitely as it is very
dangerous," Gaidai said.
An
official from the pro-Russian separatist administration in Luhansk province
told RIA news agency the Lysychansk oil refinery was now fully controlled by
Russian and pro-Russian forces, and all roads to Lysychansk were also under
their control. Ukraine says the main road out is largely impassable because of
fighting, but the city is not yet fully cut off.
In his
nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy commented on
both Snake Island and the Donbas region, which comprises Donetsk and Luhansk
provinces on the border with Russia.
The
recovery of Snake Island was significant for the Black Sea situation but
"it does not yet guarantee security. It does not yet ensure that the enemy
will not come back," he said.
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